Life-saving apparatus for ships.



PATENTED AUG. 21, 1906.

I s. G. STEVENS. LI-FE SAVING APPARATUS FOR SHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED JANJB. 1908.

WITNESSES MW ATTORNEY.

"on'rrn sAr Parana canton.

,S'YLVESTER GEORGE STEVENS; OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA. LllFE-rSAVlNGAPPARATUS Foe seizes.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 21, 1906.

Application filed January 1.6, 1:906. Serial No." 296;?Q0.

T0 aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, SYLvEs'rER GEORGE STEvENs, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residin at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and tate' ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Life-Saving Apparatus for Ships, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in life-saving apparatus for ships,and ertains ia rticularly to an apparatus carried by the s up.

The object of my invention is to provide a life-saving apparatus of thischaracter which is made as a permanent fixture of theship and extendsfrom the bow to the stern' of the vessel and adapted to convey personsfrom one end of the ship to the other end.

In ships of great length the deck-houses for passengers are at eachend,- and when a vessel strikes the bottom or grounds it invariablyhappens that the vessel breaks in two in the middle or, when made ofsteel, buckles, leaving practically two isolated and independent wrecks,neither end of the ship being able to assist the other in the least onaccount of the lack ofcornmunication.

In a device of the character herein de scribed a life-line is keptintact from one end of the vessel to the other, and the end of thevessel striking bottom is the end of the vessel nearest-shore and fromwhich the persons thereon are usually saved, while those on the oppositeend are lost, while by havin a life-line intact from one end of thevesse to the other the persons can be conveyed from the end away fromthe shore to the end nearest shore, and thus allow of the more saving ofall persons on board.

In the accompanvin drawings, Figure 1 is aside elevation of a hip,showing mylifeline applied and which is at alltimes, while the vessel isat sea, kept intact. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation showing thedeck houses at the ends of the ship and showing an enlarged view ofthelif-saving apparatus. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a ship a 'ter ithas grounded and broken in two and showing the line intact and adaptedto convey persons from one end to the other across the broken centralportion of the ship.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 re resents the ship which, as shown, isof an e ongated form and isusuallvmade'oi 9. Ian th rom four to sixhundred 'feet and provi ed at its forward end with the peck-housing 2and at the rear end with the deck-housin 3 and below which are usuallyarranged t e cabins for the passen ers in freight-steamers of thischaracter, an it is often im ossiblefor'the passengers of one cabin .toreac the other cabin and, as before stated, the ship forms two isolatedwrecks. The ship'above the deck-housings 2 and 3 is provided with theusual spars 4 and 5, which carry the usual rigging. The rear deckhousing3 is provided with a shortauxiliary. spar or post 6, located in anyconvenient and accessible place, preferably in the center of the shipand at the forward end of the deckhousing 3, so that thesame will beinalinement with the forward spar i. The said end with the singlesheave-block 8. The with a double sheave-block 7 and its lower spar 4 atthe forward endof the vessel is provided with a double sheave-block 9,the same distance from the deck as the block 7, so that the cable willbe normally held in a horizon tal position. The said spar 4 adjacent itssheave-block 10. The cable 11, winch, as shown, is of an endlessconstruction, passes over the double sheave-blocks 7 and 9 and and'thusarranging at each end the subtaritial vertical portions 12 and 13 ateach end between the single and double sheave-blocks for convenience in.operating the same by persons upon the deck-houses, as well as by theperson being conveyed across fromone end of the ship to the other.

11 between the double blocks 7 and 9 is rovidedwitha loop or breech buoy13,.'w rich is attached to the cable in case of awrec'k or may bepermanently secured to the line so as to always be in readiness in caseof an accident. It is understood that the cable 11 is always inits'operative position over the blocks tobe ready at amornents notice incase of an accident.

The auxiliary spar 6 may be and is refer-' ably provided with cables 14,Whic pass over blocks 15', carried by the upper end of the housing andby means of which the spar may be tightened to assist in tightening orloosening the cable 11 to prevent the cable when a wreck OOCIH'Sauxiliary spar-6 .at its upper end is provided lower end is alsoprovided with a singlearound the single sheave-blocks 8 and: 10,

The said cable 'roo from being too low as to interfere with the passingover the blocks from spar to spar,

deck of the ship in its travel from end to end of the vessel. Thesecables also serve as additional means for securing the apparatus to thevessel and prevent it being washed overboard in the event of a severewreck.

Instead of having the double blocks 7 and 9 the same could be single,and the cable 11 could over the same and around the single blocks 8 andi0 and pass completely around them, as indicated. in dotted lines, 3,the loops or breech-buoys being fastened. to the upper line, as theweight of the person on it would tend to bring the two lines closer toeachother, which would allow the person to aid in his travel along thesame.

While I have shown and described these two forms of carrying out myinvention, it will be understood that I do not care to limit myself toeither form, as the same may be carried out in numerous other waysWithout departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

In vessels of this character to which my device is usually applied thesmoke-stack 16 is at the rear end above the deck-housing 3,

and, if desired the auxiliary spar 6 can be dispensed with and theblocks 7 and 8 be carried by the smoke-stacklfi and the cable 11,

passing over said blocks.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patcut, is

l. The combination with a vessel having superstructures above the maindeck thereof,.

of a iaterally-suspended traveling device communicating between saidsupers tructures.

2. The combination with a vessel,- of an uninterrupted fore-and-aft lifeline or lines suspended centrallyabove the-main deck thereof andcommunicating with the extreme forward and after deck houses, means forretainingsaid line or lines in an accessible posi tion from thedeck-houses and havin hold.- fast means attached to said life-linepurpose described.

3. The,combination with a vessel, of a fore-and-a ft life line or li'ics'suspended centrally above the main deck thereof with means forretaining said line or lines in a taut and accessible positionfromthedeck-houses, and loops or buoys attached to said line or lines forthe purpose described.

4. The combination with a vessel, of a fore-andaft lifeline supportedcentrally above the main deck thereof and extending substantially thefull length of thesame with means for retaining said line in a taut'andaccessible position from the two ends of the vessel for the reception oflife-buoys or holdfast means for transferrin persons from one end of thevessel to the ot ier. 1 5. The combination witha vessel, having theusual spars forward and aft, of blocks carried by the spars and anendless cable for the said cable being located in an accessible POSltionfor lifesaving purposes from both ends of the vessel.

6. The combination the usual spars fore and aft, of blocks earned by thespars, an endless cable passing over the blocks from spar to spar, and aloop or breech-buoy carried by the cable intermed1- ate the blocks.

7. The combination with a vessel having the usual spars fore and aft, ofan auxiliary spar in front of the aft spar, means for adjusting saidspar, double blocks carried by the upper end of the auxiliary spar, andthe forward spar, single blocks carried by the lower end of the spars,an endless cable passing over the double blocks and around the singleblocks, and a loop or breeclnbuoy carried by the cable between thedouble blocks.

8. The combination with a vessel having the usual spars fore and aft,single blocks carriedv by the spars, an endless cable passing aroundsaid blocks, and a loop or breechbuoy carried by the cable intermediatethe upper blocks.

9. The combination with a steam vessel having the usual spar forward andsmoke stack aft, sheave-blocks carried by said spar and stack, anendless line passing around said blocks, and a loop or breech-buoycarried by the line intermediate the spar and stack.

10. The combination with a vessel having the usual spars fore andaft, ofan auxiliary spar in front of the aft spar, blocks carried by theauxiliary and forward spars, and an endless cable passing around theblocks, and a loop or breech-buoy carried by the cable between theblocks.

With a vessel having between said deck-houses and extending centrallyand lengthwise of the ship for life-saw ing purposes.

13. The combination with a vessel having a plurality of deck-houses, ofa laterally-operative life-saving means suspended between saiddeck-houses while at sea for transportation purposes in case ofemergency.

14. The combination with a vessel having a plurality of superstructuresabove the main deck thereof, of a laterally-operative life-saving meansabove said deck suspended from and connecting said superstruotures.

15. The combination with a vessel having the usual spars forward andaft, of an auxilspar in front of the, after spar, blocks car- .rled bythe auxiliary spar and forward spar, and an endless cable passing aroundthe blocks, and loop or breech-buoy carried of the vessel, saidiine orlines carrying holdby the cable between the blocks. fast transportationmeans. I0 ,1 6. The combination with a, sea-going vesi In testimonywhereof I afiix my signature sel, 0f vertieally-extendin supports fromin presence of two Witnesses. 1 0th ends of the main decz; thereof andan I SYLVESTER GEORGE STEVENS.

operative life line 01 lines extending length- Witnesses: WiSG of thevessel and suspended from said G. B. MACKENZIE,

supports considerably above the main deck i ALEXANDER GRAHAM.

